The timed auction ends Thursday October 15th at 8:00pm. Whoever holds the highest bid at the auction closing time wins.
Zeina Kara Ali
The foyer, 2024
Acrylic on canvas
Height 61 cm x Width 101 cm
Artwork is stretched and ready to hang & comes with a certificate of authenticity
Starting Bid: $850
Rooted in a deep nostalgia for my home country, my work celebrates the charm of traditional architecture while blending contemporary vibrancy within classical themes. I am drawn to the beauty, light, and subtle details that make these heritage spaces feel both timeless and alive — expressions of authenticity, culture, and legacy.
The Foyer depicts a room from a beautifully renovated Ottoman-era house in the mountains, now a welcoming guest home. Translating its photographed memory into paint, I romanticize the elegance of its arches, interiors, and sun-lit details — imagining the life and stories that continue to unfold within its walls.
The foyer has been nominated as finalist in Burwood Art Prize 2025 and AMA 2025 Art Award
Artist Bio: Zeina Kara-Ali – Biography
Currently living in Sydney, Australia, artist Zeina Kara-Ali was born and raised in Lebanon.
Kara-Ali’s work is intrinsically linked to her childhood, with memories of the architecture and
culture of Lebanon informing her current body of work. The artist completed a BA of Biology
before traveling and settling in Ghana, Africa for several years. Both the observant intricacy
inherent to her formal education and the vivacity of her diverse experiences abroad are at the
core of her art.
Often veering towards the expressive, Kara-Ali has a penchant for still-life and landscape
work. Her style is primarily graphical, with the artist deconstructing elements of her subjects
by playing with light and pigment. Trained at the Sydney Art School predominantly in
landscape and the technicality in painting, Kara-Ali is committed to the ongoing development
of her craft and seeks to connect with her audience through her natural desire to notice and
elicit beauty where it may not typically reside.
The artist ran an Art studio in Ghana and worked openly as both student and teacher where
she invited esteemed artists local to the region and students to come together and work
reciprocally to improve their art. Kara-Ali states, “I always notice the little details and have
been able to see the beauty in my surroundings. I have lived in several countries throughout
my life, which has resulted in my deep appreciation for different cultures, that I aim to portray
in my paintings.”
Regarding her current direction, the artist continues, “Recently, my paintings have reflected
my feelings of nostalgia towards my home country, Lebanon. And after my last visit there, I
began to paint the beauty of Lebanese traditional houses including my childhood home. The
Lebanese traditional houses are a world of sunshine and light, of colour both subtle and vivid,
of authenticity and legacy. I carry them in my memory, and I attempt to bring them into reality
through my paintings.”
Among her achievements, the artist was a finalist in the Hunter Hill Art Exhibition 2022 and
2023 as well as the Fisher's Ghost Art Award 2023. She is also adept at decoupage as well as
studio painting with acrylic on canvas. Kara-Ali organized charitable art workshops for women
and orphans in Ghana and worked for non-profit organisations Zeina Kara-Ali – Biography
Currently living in Sydney, Australia, artist Zeina Kara-Ali was born and raised in Lebanon.
Kara-Ali’s work is intrinsically linked to her childhood, with memories of the architecture and
culture of Lebanon informing her current body of work. The artist completed a BA of Biology
before traveling and settling in Ghana, Africa for several years. Both the observant intricacy
inherent to her formal education and the vivacity of her diverse experiences abroad are at the
core of her art.
Often veering towards the expressive, Kara-Ali has a penchant for still-life and landscape
work. Her style is primarily graphical, with the artist deconstructing elements of her subjects
by playing with light and pigment. Trained at the Sydney Art School predominantly in
landscape and the technicality in painting, Kara-Ali is committed to the ongoing development
of her craft and seeks to connect with her audience through her natural desire to notice and
elicit beauty where it may not typically reside.
The artist ran an Art studio in Ghana and worked openly as both student and teacher where
she invited esteemed artists local to the region and students to come together and work
reciprocally to improve their art. Kara-Ali states, “I always notice the little details and have
been able to see the beauty in my surroundings. I have lived in several countries throughout
my life, which has resulted in my deep appreciation for different cultures, that I aim to portray
in my paintings.”
Regarding her current direction, the artist continues, “Recently, my paintings have reflected
my feelings of nostalgia towards my home country, Lebanon. And after my last visit there, I
began to paint the beauty of Lebanese traditional houses including my childhood home. The
Lebanese traditional houses are a world of sunshine and light, of colour both subtle and vivid,
of authenticity and legacy. I carry them in my memory, and I attempt to bring them into reality
through my paintings.”
Among her achievements, the artist was a finalist in the Hunter Hill Art Exhibition 2022 and
2023 as well as the Fisher's Ghost Art Award 2023. She is also adept at decoupage as well as
studio painting with acrylic on canvas. Kara-Ali organized charitable art workshops for women
and orphans in Ghana and worked for non-profit organisations teaching art there.
Currently Kara-Ali is working on her first solo show "Arches" at Hurstville Museum and Gallery
in June 2024, which will be a collection of her body of work about the traditional houses of her
home country, Lebanon. teaching art there.
In June 2024, the artist held her first solo exhibition “Arches Memory” which was a collection of her body of work about the traditional houses of her
home country, Lebanon.
Dimensions:
61 cm x 101 cm